Gundam Death
by Shinji Shinigami
Summary: Fourth chapter finally outside, the story of Shinichi and Sparks continues. This is an completly new Gundam universe and does not exist in any of the Gundam series. Please read and review.
1. prologue, Crusader

I, Shinji Shinigami, do not own any of the Gundam Series. Yet, every character in this story that was invented by me, so suing me is futile. Nothing else needs to be said.

MyWay: Hey, as Co-Author, ain't I worth being mentioned?

Shinji: You? Who would want to know about you? Who needs you anyway?

MyWay: YOU need me, I am your Co-Author! And all those readers love me, not you.

Shinji: In your wildest dreams…

* * *

Gundam Death

To every common human earth's recourses must seem endless, but they are not. Sooner or later, those recourses will run out. Even though mankind has the ability to prevent it, they won't do it. It lies in mankind's nature that bad things have to happen first before they react. Sometimes, a reaction comes too late.

The thing, which happened here, was the beginning of the World War III.

It's not known who started the War, but that is not important anyway. More important is the fact that after the 19.02.2010, the world was painted in blood and death was the cruel reality of the every day life.

It did not take a year to destroy almost everything mankind had built up so far. Millions and millions of people died senseless in the storms of fire.

"I don't know with which weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones!", Albert Einstein once said.

Well, his theory is close to the reality. Mankind had to begin from Zero. Not that only areas and lives were destroyed; whole civilizations and technologies were lost.

But, even such a bad thing as this mass destruction has its good sides: Peace!

As unbelievable as it sounds, but mankind seemed to have learned out of their mistakes.

And in times of peace, if people are in need, everyone works together. If all work together, you can restore most of the lost things in just a century. And soon after the lost technology standard was reached, completely new technologies were gained.

New technologies, like fuel produced by genetic optimized plants, yet experimental long range subspace communication or a neuro-link steering unit. And a result of new technologies was the MS, the Mobile Suit. With these All-round working units, it was possible to make most of the works on planet easier and they where the foundation for building colonies in outer-space for resource-gaining.

So it comes that, in the second century after War (AW), the first colony in outer space was established, Eden. Most parts of the colony were made out of junk which remained from the War, in memory not to forget the horrible past.

Recourses were mined in space; new colonies were established and so on.

This should be the circle for the next two centuries; a circle of peace and expansion.

In the Year 432 AW there were no resources left on earth and the people from this planet was dependent on the resources from the colonies.

The recently elected leader of the colonies, Jack Dainer, suddenly stopped the resource deliveries to earth. He argues that the citizens from earth are living in God's paradise, while the people from colonies have to work for them.

"Why do we have to give those pigs our hard work? Have they earned it? NO! If they want these resources, then they should come up here and work for them!" Jack Dainer said over a public broadcast.

He got most of the colonies citizens on his side by using such propaganda, but some of the earth-near colonies couldn't understand his reasons and became neutral or were completely on earth's side to protect the continue of peace.

The colonies on Dainer's side called them self the _Sengoku, _the fighting provinces (S.G. in short)

Earth had many resources on stock, but they were not unlimited, and people knew it. So they tried to "work" for their resources, but they could only reach the earth-near colonies, the shuttles on the way to the S.G. colonies were disabled.

The resources mined on the Earth Alliance (short E.A.) colonies weren't enough for all people on earth and colonies, so they used the remaining resources to arm themselves to gain the resources, if necessary by force, because the survival of earth's citizens was depending on it.

And so did the S.G. Colonies.

A neuter arming race came up for the next 20 years with lots of skirmishes and thousands of casualties, most died in the fight against hunger. But it was not an open war, till now.

Because the situation on earth was not longer acceptable, and the fact E.A. heard about a new weapon from S.G., the so called Neuro-Link-jammer through their spies, the earth alliance declared War. Both sides promised the other, that they will use every invention made over the past 20 years. And this was about 10 months ago.

And this is the point were the real story takes in.

* * *

Chapter one, Crusader

Now we are looking at the earth-nearest colony, Gaia.

At this time the 101st and 52nd Mobile Suit divisions were stationed there, for defense purposes and rookie training. This Station was far away from the hostile borders, but because of the high tech fuel refinery there, people feared sudden attacks.

The only thing that took people's fear was the fact that some of E.A.'s best soldiers were guarding them. For further security, the Zeus, a modern cruiser and one of the three battleships that actually witnessed a real combat and got through it, is always somewhere around.

While most of the soldiers are using their spare time for own goods, some were watching an amazing MS training fight in the Pilot academy, which lies in sector F of the colony.

One fighter was Major Spartakus Shirow, or simply Sparks for short.

His opponent was Lieutenant Shinichi Hago, best fighter of the 101st.

They fought only with training sticks, to prevent them from killing each other. But after half an hour something unbelievable happened. Both MS ran towards each other and lunged out for each others sword arm. This fact was not that special, but both were striking with such precision, that both swords arms fell to the ground; leaving all rookies' jaws down.

Nothing happened for 20 seconds, but then the audience woke up from their rigor and applauded. Both pilots changed and sat into the Cantina, talking about their fight.

"I am impressed… the rumors about you are true." Sparks said with respect in his voice.

"Rumors about me? What kind for rumors?" Shinichi asked a little confused.

"It's said that a 17 Years old Lieutenant from the 101st Mobile Suit division is one of the best pilots in E.A.'s forces. I found out first hand."

"If all soldiers would train harder, this would be normality. You've proofed it. You are a living legend. It was a great honor to have a train fight with you, Sir."

"I am flattered. But training is not the reason why I'm here."

"You and your troops from the 52nd are here to guard the Colony, right?"

"Not just that. Would you please follow me into my office, there we can talk in a more private atmosphere."

"Of course, Sir!"

Both walked around the academy, and while there were walking, the Major was chatting a bit.

"Ever heard of someone called Doctor Seisenberg?" he asked in a serious voice.

"I've heard he's a scientist, who is researching a counter measure against S.G.'s Neuro-Link Jammer. I haven't heard further more yet."

"Right. Like you know, our Mobile Suits are working with Neuro-Link. It's not possible for a Pilot to use the full spectrum of human movement just with two joysticks and pedals. So we are using a neural-link to steer the MS with our mind, with our thoughts. The Joysticks and pedals are just for thruster and weapon control. But the Neuro-link jammer disturbs the invisible connection to your suit and you can't control it anymore. If this happens you are an easy target. Because this guy's from S.G. have something in their Suits, which prevents them from that jammer. You can't move, but they can, unfair play." He said those last words with a real despise.

Entering Shirow's office, he shut the door closed.

"Now we can talk freely. We found out what Dr. Seisenberg has researched."

"He's supposed to report to HQ I assume… wait, HAS researched?" Shinichi asked with a frown.

"Yes, he got killed recently."

"How is that possible? I thought he was researching on a mobile high security Laboratory?"

"He was, but those bastards from S.G. found it somehow and destroyed it, but luckily they didn't find the Suits."

"Suits? I thought he researched a way to prevent the jamming effect."

"Well, yes and no. Actually we don't know how long he was researching on these suits, but we know that they are somehow… special."

"Special? In how far are they special?"

"We don't know the details. You have to know that the doc never told a person about what he was working on. All he did, he saved digital on a Computer. All assistants died along with the doc, and the computer got destroyed, like the rest of the ship. But we were able to retrieve some of the Hard Disks, beside the suits."

"Great, isn't there a user manual on them?" Shinichi asked with some sarcasm.

"First, all the files on the HD are ciphered and if we don't use the original code, everything will be overwritten automatically. Second, we actually don't have the HD anymore. We had to hand it out to intelligence. Don't know what these guys wanna do about it. I can't imagine they would be able to hack the HD." Sparks said and shrugged.

"This Seisenberg must have worked on something big… But, I really doubt you tell me all this just because of fun, there has to be a reason for it, am I right Major?" The young Lieutenant asked with a smirk.

Sparks had to smile. "Not only a good fighter, but also capable to use his head. We have two machines, from which we know in fact, nothing. We need to find out more about them, we need to test them. And this is the point were we both came in."

"You mean we are the new pilots for these Suits?"

"Yes, we are ordered to be the test pilots of these MS. It was ordered from the highest authority."

"Just curious, but isn't that usually a 'voluntary' thing?" Shinichi asked playfully.

"Well, I was told to ask you first if you would do this job "voluntary", but on the other hand, they made clear I have to make sure you do it by all means... so, instead of arguing about this issue for long time, I spared some minutes of your life and simply skipped that "voluntary" part..."

Shinichi looked confused.

"Let's call it a 'voluntary order'..." Sparks said with a shrug.

"I see."

"We are going to be stationed on the Bahamut. So you better pack your stuff."

"Bahamut? Isn't that the new model of fast engage battleships?"

"Indeed, but first we are ordered to gain information about the suits here on Gaia. So, want to see your bride?" he asked with an offering gesture.

"I can't wait for the wedding night!" Shinichi said happily.

Both left the academy, and drove to a top secret area of sector F.

"So, here is the place were the two Gundams are stored"

"Gundams, Sir?"

"That's the name Doc Seisenberg gave those suits. Whatever he meant by that, he took it to the grave."

"Uh huh…"

"ID and permission please!" a guard said.

"I am Major Shirow from the 52nd and this is Lieutenant Hago from the 101st MS Division. Here our permission." He said and handed a paper to the guard.

"Seems okay, please go right through, Sir."

After a number of security levels a woman in a white coat awaited the two.

"Hello Major Spart…"

"Hey, just call me Sparks this is easier for both of us." The Major interrupted, shaking his head in bad mood.

"As you wish Major Sparks and hello Lieutenant Hago. I am informed about you two. I am Doctor Misaki Kusanagi, technical supervisor for the Gundam Project. You two are ready for the first test or should we get you checked by a medic?"

"Are we going to test them right away?"

"No but we have to adjust the OS to your mind and body first. So would you please follow me to your Gundam Major? One of our technicians will show you the way Lieutenant. Just wait a bit."

"I am following you everywhere, great beauty." Sparks said and grinned.

"Spare your flattery, Major, just follow me."

Both left and after ten minutes a technician in an orange overall came to Shinichi.

"Hey, are you Lieutenant hmm… Hago?"

"Yes that's me, and you are here to show me the Gundam, I presume."

"Oh, how do you get THIS Idea? Anyway, my name is Daisuke Taylor and I am one of doc Kusanagi's slave mechanics."

"Talk about dream job…"

"Just follow me." Taylor said with a not really pleased expression.

He did and the mechanic led him into a huge hangar, were it stood. A black Mobile Suit. A black beauty…

"Here is the Crusader, your new best friend."

"Cru …Crusader?" Shinichi said, barely able to speak. He was in love right away.

At first sight the Gundam remembered Shinichi of a knight, wearing plate armor. Some red runes and "veins" were carved into the black armor.

The thing that mostly let the Gundam look like a knight was its helmet, which actually looked like it was from Europe, late Dark Ages.

"Yeah, the Gundam Crusader, really amazing isn't it?"

"Indeed it is…." He said with a growing smile

"Ok if you are the statistic freak, here is the technical guidance for the Gundam." Taylor said and was reading from his terminal board.

"This Gundam carry's a huge crucifix on his back. It's almost so huge like the Gundam itself.

Its weapons are:

Two 70 mm gattlings mounted on his head

Two 101 mm gattlings mounted under/around his bracelets

A two handed laser claymore, mounted on his back/neck

The Crucifix is, if unused mounted on the back, like a bag pack and helps with thruster power… Say, do you listen at all?" The mech asked a little annoyed.

"Nope…" Shinichi said and kept on staring on his Gundam.

End of chapter one

* * *

MyWay: I am great.

Shinji: I am greater.

MyWay: I am the greatest!

Shinji: I am the author.

Silence

MyWay: Okay, one point for you…


	2. Valkyrie

MyWay: There ya go buddy… took me only some months to correct it.

Shinji: Hey, you make it sound like I write only gobbledygook!

MyWay: You do!

Shinji: Thanks… TRAITOR!

* * *

Chapter 2, Valkyrie

"Really, you pilots are predictable, all responding the same way… If you want, we can start calibrating the OS now." Daisuke suggested.

"It's no problem for me to overwrite a simple MS operating system." Shinichi said still observing his new MS.

"I knew you would say that. But know, that many said that before and they all failed… you will be just one of them." Daisuke stated bored.

"And, why do you think so?"

"This is not just a neuro-link steering unit with an OS, this is different… This is stronger!"

"Stronger? Why stronger?"

"This Neuro-Link Impulse is way stronger than conventional MS impulses are. With that strength it won't be jammed as the usual ones will. The pilot has to wear a special suit, which protects him from the interferences. If the pilot is not used to the suit, you might go insane."

"So… the only difference is a stronger impulse? I can handle that."

"Don't overestimate yourself, pilot. This impulse is not just stronger, The time of connection is actually zero. In other words, you're piloting it in real time. One half you can see on the display, the other half in your head.

"In my head? Means, I can feel what the … Gundam 'feels'?" Shinichi asked surprised yet slow.

"Sounds freaky, but I think this is the way to describe it… but to be honest, this is all very theoretical… How this mind stuff works, I don't know."

Shinichi was a little confused. He still looked at the Gundam.

"Weird…" he whispered after a while.

"What?"

"Probably not important, but its right arm seems thinner… almost human."

They both looked closer at the Gundam and its right arm.

"Now that you mention it… you're right… but trust me, the arm IS mechanic. Must be the artist's freedom… who knows what the doc thought." Daisuke assured.

"What is with the other Gundam? What kind of MS is this?"

"I only know that it is completely different. I think these two are prototypes of two different researches."

"Different… in how far?"

"It's more… user friendly." Daisuke said, not finding the right words.

"Eh?" Shinichi brought out.

"Like I said, a stronger impulse used for too long will affect your mind and even your body, maybe resulting psychological unstableness..."

"English?"

"Use it too long and your brain will be fried." The tech said plainly.

"YOU know how to make things sound simple."

* * *

At the same time on an S.G.'s stealth ship near Gaia.

In the briefing room were two men. One was obviously the captain, dressed in uniform. The other person was dressed in white clothes and had long white hair.

"Will we attack the colony, Sir?"

"Is this a serious suggestion?" the captain asked surprised.

"Well, to obtain this 'thing' that was on the science ship, why not?"

"Shinai, if we attack this colony now, we will be in big trouble before you can spell 'this is a bad day', even WITH this stealth ship."

"Right… but, what else can we do?" Shinai asked clueless.

"An open assault is out of question, we don't have the manpower for that. But we can check out the situation on the colony, before we consider an attack."

"Good point."

"You might be the best soldier for this mission, commander. Infiltrate this facility, gather as much information as you can and try to steal that… 'Thing', whatever it might be."

"So, it's a one-man-army mission?" The commander asked with a smile.

"Loosing your cover is out of question. They must not get suspicious. If they suspect anything, BEFORE we stole the … 'THING'… it will become hard to get our hands on it." The captain said seriously.

"Get me a shuttle, I am on my way." Shinai said and sighed.

* * *

back on the colony-

"Well… where are we going, Miss?" Sparks asked nicely.

"The hangars for both MS are on the opposite site of the colony. Just in case, that one gets stolen or destroyed, the other Unit should remain unaffected."

"So… we are going to the other end of the colony… while Shinichi's suit is right here?"

"Exactly!" Misaki said shortly.

"At least I am with a beautiful woman instead of a mechanic."

"If you want to flatter me, forget it… such things won't work with me. And now, would you get in that car? We've wasted enough time with this none sense of yours."

"It was hard brain work to come up with all this stuff."

"Just shut up and get in the car, I'll drive!"

"Hey, a little more kindness hasn't killed anyone yet. And by the way, do you know how cute you look when you're angry?" Sparks asked smirking.

"HELL, GET IN THE CAR! NOW!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Sparks stammered frightened and did as he was told.

They drove through the entire colony, passing many security stations. Sparks was about to try another flirt attack, but Misaki's glare told him, that silence is more worth right now than anything else.

'I think her impression of me is down to hell… She might be a devil but she is sooo cute… really, she will be a hard nut to crack.'

Twenty minutes later, they reached another hidden security sector, similar to the first one.

Passing the guards was no problem, perhaps because they saw Misaki's expression of anger.

After getting out of that car (and the uncomfortable feeling in there) they went into a medical room.

"Major, we will test your health and fatigue here, if you would be so kind and remove all clothing from your chest."

"I am not supposed to test it right away?" Sparks asked surprised.

"Actually yes, but if your body is in a similar shape as your flirting skills, we need to check you through… Would you be so kind?" she said, pointing on his chest.

"Your order is my wish, white beauty of health and men's unanswered dreams."

"Can you take this more seriously, Major? If you are acting that dump on the battlefield as well, I wouldn't be surprised if you died within two seconds, even WITH that Gundam!" She said seriously.

Silence… Sparks is thinking.

"Does this mean… you are actually worried about my health and my life?" he asked, a spark of hope in his eyes.

Misaki, who was unprepared for a statement like this, blushed. She needed some time to find a fitting answer.

"I am not worried about you I am worried about the Gundam you pilot. You can be replaced, but this Gundam is unique!" She stated cold.

"Hey, I am not unique?" he asked a little offended.

"Not as unique as the Gundam is. Would you now get rid of your clothes? We don't have the whole day for this!"

"Can't wait to see me undressed, huh? That's the reaction of most women I meet…" he stated, posing a little to show some muscles.

Dr. Kusanagi blushed even more and was about to explode, but calmed down and spoke:

"If this satisfies your ego then YES, I CAN'T WAIT!"

'Why can't I get rid of the impression, that she is not entirely honest right now?' Sparks thought.

With a smirk on his face he began undressing. Dr. Kusanagi turned around to check something on a screen. As she turned around again, she was surprised. He was not, like she expected, standing there in underwear.

He stood there in Bermuda shorts and a Hawaii shirt.

"What the... You always wear that stuff under your uniform?"

"Of course! As soldier, you never know when spare time is available for you. Like a condom. Rather having it with me without needing it instead of not having one when I need it!"

"Why… Why am I not surprised by this answer?" she shook her head. "Now, could you kindly get rid of these as well so we can actually begin? She asked and looked on her watch.

After undressing his all-time-being-prepared clothes he stood there, only dressed with a common short.

Misaki couldn't avoid blushing again, but this time unseen by Sparks and this time maybe for another reason.

After the extermination which didn't take as long as Sparks feared they talked about the results.

"Impressive, Major… In spite of your age, you are in an almost perfect shape."

"Thanks doc… but please, call me Sparks, otherwise the both of us will never get together."

Misaki only shook her head.

"Let's take a look at your Gundam, MAJOR."

"I kinda knew this would come…" he said a bit downcast.

"Before you can enter your MS, you will have to put this protection suit on, which was especially made for the pilot of this Gundam." She said and opened a bow, revealing a white space outfit.

"I am not wearing that!" Sparks stated flatly, looking at the suit with disgust.

"Why not?"

"It… IT IS PINK!" he yelled and pointed at the suit.

"Oh come on… First, it is not pink, it is white. And, even if it was pink, no one will see you in this suit." The doctor assured in a motherly voice.

"Okay… But still I don't like it!"

'Like I would care if you like it or not… JUST DRESS!' She thought impatiently.

After he put his new white suit on, it looked on him like a coat. Black Tribals were all over the suit, especially on the back. They had something of a cross, although it looked like a strange spear with a strange blade in front of it, two 'birds' flying away from the spear.

"Fits you like a glove. NOW we can proceed to the hangar."

"At least the tribals are cool. You know the meaning of the one on my back?"

"I don't think it has a meaning, but you are free to invent one if this is important to you."

It took them ten minutes to reach the hangar, mostly because Dr. Kusanagi had to yell at Sparks, making him stop his flirting attempts.

They entered the hangar and Sparks had to close his eyes, because light was blending him brightly.

As he opened his eyes again, he was overwhelmed by what he saw.

In front of him was a mobile suit, as white as snow with the same tribals all over it that were on his suit. The white was brighter than usual white and the tribals were not carved in, they seemed to float over the hull of the Gundam.

The Gundam itself was much thinner than other mobile suits and seemed to be more Aerodynamic, especially the torso and the legs. The bracelets are thick compared to all other parts of the Gundam.

The head is smaller as well, somehow feminine. The helmet yet is a bit spiky, but still elegant.

"By Odin's white beard, this is… this is… well 'amazing' would fit…"

"Yeah, the Valkyrie Gundam is a sight you can't see everyday."

"Valkyrie, huh? So, those two birds on my and … her back are Hugin and Munin."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nordic mythology… if you want, I can explain some to you… on a date maybe?"

"The Gundam, Major!" Misaki inquired, emphasizing the last word.

"Okay…" They went next to it. Sparks frowned as he looked closer.

"See?" Sparks said offended.

"See what?"

"This is white --pointing on the Gundam-- and this is pink! --pointing on his suit-- IT IS PINK."

"It is not pink and you- HEY… FOCUS ON WORK, MAJOR!"

"Alright…"

"Well, the Valkyrie is equipped with an experimental steering unit, unaffected by the Neuro Link Jammer."

"Yeah, yeah, I am listening… just let me in!"

"All men say that…" she complained silently.

End of Chapter two

* * *

MyWay: I am great!

Shinji: I am greater!

MyWay: I am the greatest!

Shinji: You don't learn, don't you? I am still the author!

MyWay: Yeah, but I am god!

Silence

Shinji: Okay, a tie.


	3. Trial run, part I

On the S.G.'s stealth ship. Commander Shinai was going to the shuttle bay to commence his mission. Before he entered it, the captain came in.

"Commander?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Do you have a few seconds?"

"Yes, I have a little time left I think, so what is it?" the second man in command said and they both stepped a little away.

"This is a dangerous mission. If you got detected, you're dead."

"You just know how to encourage people for a mission." He said ironically.

"Shinai, serious now."

"We've been friends, all these years, so spit it out!"

"Well, if you fall, what word should I bring to your wife and your daughter?"

"Nothing, 'cause this mission will be a success." The white-haired man answered self-confidently.

"Don't get me wrong, Shinai, I have great faith in your abilities, but unexpected things happen, mostly when you're not expecting them."

"What do you think could such an "unexpected" thing be?"

"That's why it is called "unexpected", because you don't know it before it happens. Don't forget, you are not stealing a purse. This thing is way bigger than you."

"Then I'll just steal a transporter to deliver it right to your feet, where is the problem?"

"Don't give me that "easy-doing" shit. Listen, if something happens, use that red button on your com device. It will transfer an encoded message and the Bar Barossa will attack the colony. This should give you the chance to flee."

"Thanks, but don't bring men and ship in unnecessary danger. The Bar Barossa has no chance against the Zeus, you know that!"

"Make it back in one piece; I hate to do fill out these deceased forms." The captain said with a smile.

After these words, a stealth shuttle started from the hangar and was on its way to colony Gaia.

* * *

Back again to the colony.

Shinichi has finished a little examination as well and is sitting in the cockpit of the Gundam Crusader now, to calibrate the OS to its new Pilot. He also wears a special suit, an entirely black one which looks like a coat. Like Sparks' suit, this one has veins but in red and the tribal on the back looks more like a sword.

"Alright, first I've got to calibrate all neuro sensors to my mind… Hey Daisuke!" he yelled to get the tech's attention.

Daisuke Tailor was standing in front of the Gundam, at its feet. He was typing on his laptop.

"What ya got, boss? I just received message from the other hangar, they start calibrating as well."

"Great, maybe we can have a little skirmish later… but, first, help me out here. Watch my health condition and the neuro-impule while I am initializing the calibration."

Slowly, Daisuke walked up to the cockpit to maintain the eternal computers.

"Okay, all conditions green, sensors are working… you are ready to go!"

Shinichi typed something into the keyboard in front of him. When he was done, he leaned back.

"Now… let's see about this "stronger impulse" stuff you bubbled about earlier."

While the program was doing whatever it did, the Gundam made a self check.

"Mobile suit Intelligence Auto-device will now adjust all systems to the pilot. All settings will be saved to the pilot's profile." A female voice said.

'Ah, examination via sensors… Wonder where those are…'

Next to the pilot appeared a miniature of a young woman. The body was pretty though, but the facial expression was cold as ice.

"Please remain calm and relax. A number of tests will be made now. As a result, influence in your well-being may appear. Unwell feeling might be a side effect of this process. This is a necessary step. You will have to do this only once to be able steering this unit." The little hologram said.

"Wow, a talking computer, a hologram… Guess they've booked me first-class in here." The young pilot mumbled in awe.

"Only the best for our guinea pigs… um… pilots!" Daisuke said with an evil grin.

"When will this start here?"

Just as Shinichi finished his sentence, a bunch of strange feeling came over him.

The young lieutenant was not sure how to interpret these feelings but after only a moment, it all turned into pain.

While Shinichi was shaking in pain in his cockpit, Tailor could only watch how the pilot's life signs became more and more critically. Daisuke desperately tried to abort the progress but the system overwrote his commands.

The mechanic was talking to Shinichi, but the words seemed too far away to hear.

Still with an uncontrollable shaking body, he felt signals coming through from the MS.

Soon, his body stopped shaking and his heart beat normalized a bit.

Yet, something was still wrong. His facial expression showed pure horror. The terror shown to the outside is nothing compared to what happened inside his mind. Thousands of years of slaughtering, killing and massacres wouldn't be able to compete with these 30 seconds of hell Shinichi was going through right now.

Daisuke, unable to do something about this situation, yelled at the hologram.

"You holo-bitch, stop that immediately or he'll die!"

"The pilot was instructed that the adjusting-progress might have uncomfortable side effects."

"UNCOMFORTABLE? This ain't uncomfortable; this is suffering at the worst case!"

"These words are preset, not my choice…" the mini-holo-girl said and shrugged.

"Talk about user-friendly comps… make it quick, if boss finds out about this, I am fucked all the way… literally…" Daisuke had a very bad image about his future.

As fast as it began, as fast it ended. Shinichi, drenched in his sweat, was fully aware of his surroundings, yet he felt displaced.

"Hey buddy, you alright?" Daisuke asked worried as he opened the cockpit.

"Do I … look… alright … to you?" Shinichi panted between his breaths.

"Um… well… you look alive, that is what counts… come on, enough mind terror for you today, let's grab some grub, my treat."

"Sounds about right to me now…"

"All data have been saved to pilot's profile: Shinichi. Profile will be loaded on next session automatically."

"Good to know…" Daisuke said, still cursing about this hologram on their way to the cantina.

After Shinichi got out of the cockpit all systems shut down and the cockpit door closed automatically.

While both were relaxing in the cantina, on the other side of the colony, calibration work was done in the same way.

* * *

"Can we just start finally?" Sparks yelled, impatient as a small child.

"Hey, easy alright? This is not my fault! These guys gave me the wrong OS for the computers here, to watch your status."

"I think it's not the wrong OS, more like a nest of bugs…"

"Maybe, but its working, right now… we can start, after only two hours…"

"Alright… Starting the MS…" Sparks cheered

The Valkyire came to live and the hull was shining even brighter. Also, the pilot got scanned by the internal sensors.

"Please adjust the G.U.N.D.A.M AI to the pilots requirements so that full possibility and compatibility is given" a computer voice said.

"Um… Hey doc, what should I do?" Sparks asked concerned.

"I have no idea, major…" Misaki said clueless.

"If the user is not aware how to configure these settings, please press any key to continue with automatic configuration." The AI said.

"Now, I can do that!" Sparks muttered proudly and pressed a button right in front of him.

"Please remain seated and calm, the progress will take some minutes."

"Hey doc, can I have an OS like this for my comp?"

Doctor Kusanagi only shook her head and typed some more stuff on her keyboard.

Sparks was humming a melody and the Gundam began to play the music fitting to the melody.

"Hey, this rocks… hey doc, I really need one of those!" Sparks said happily, singing karaoke with the Gundam.

Doctor Kusanagi was not sure what to think of this situation. Last but not least, she decided that this man is not to be taken seriously.

Sparks meanwhile felt in some kind of sleep, dozing with a smile.

'Yeah, that's more like him… that's the way I like him, sleeping soundly, not flirting…' Misaki thought and sighed, wishing he would always be like this.

It took some minutes, then Sparks woke up again, feeling like a thousand bugs.

"What happened? Did you see anything?"

"… Hawaii!" Sparks exclaimed happily.

"Haw- what? Hawaii?" The doctor asked confused.

"This thing let me dream about Hawaii… I really begin to like this thing."

"Analyze complete. Information will be used to create the characteristics of the holographic avatar most compatible with you."

The Gundam formed a holograph. Slowly it got sharper and finally, a woman of 30 years and a long white dress, blue hairs to her butt was to see. Her wings and her face made her look like an angel.

Misaki was surprised, but Sparks was shocked. His skin felt like ice and his innards like fire.

"Ir… Iris? Is that you? But… you can't…" Sparks mumbled puzzled.

"Like I said, I took over the characteristics of a person who is most compatible with you. In order to work together good, we need to feel comfortable with each other, to not get stressed in a critical situation. And yes, a little freedom of an artist is attached, but I think wings let me look better, little bro." The hologram "Iris" said and posed a little.

"But, my older sister died 20 years ago, in the first battle!"

"I am just a picture of your memories and my own personality. I am here to help you in any way possible."

Misaki was not able to say anything, she was way too shocked.

'The Gundam scanned his memories? Further it had actual access to his memories?'

"Okay then, please adjust everything to me; I want to use this MS as soon as I can."

"As you wish, little brother. Please close your eyes, this will take some minutes. I will visit you in your dream, on precious Hawaii of course."

"Yeah, Hawaii sounds good…" Sparks said and leaned back, relaxing as he closed his eyes.

Dr. Kusanagi was amazed by the Gundam and its abilities, but also worried.

'It is able to talk to him, in his mind… to control his dreams… it can control the pilot's higher brain functions…'

After five minutes, Sparks woke up again, but his expression said he wanted to sleep a little longer.

"How was it? Hawaii again? Barely believable that a technology is capable of this. Good thing it does not harm you in any way." Misaki said sideways.

"It is the user-friendliest version, but the pilot should rest and drink a lot before he proceeds with the tests."

"Thanks, sis. Hey doc, a drink in the cantina, my treat… or would you prefer a cocktail in my quarter?"

"You will never change, will you? I will accompany you to the cantina, but don't expect anything for yourself." Misaki said coldly.

"Such rude words, coming from such beautiful lips…"

With a big grin Sparks jumped out of the cockpit and "Iris" began to laugh.

"Impressive… you are an A.I., yet you are able to laugh… A computer with emotions… But, what do you think is so funny about this?" The only real female person around asked, not smiling a bit.

"The both of you, you just don't know how much you would fit together, trust me, I know my little brother!"

Misaki and Sparks blushed at the same time, yet only seen by Iris.

"ARE YOU NUTS? Misaki shouted and blushed even more, turning around to leave for the cantina, grumbling and cursing.

Sparks also went to the cantina, yet with a little distance to the charged up woman. After both left, the Valkyrie shut down by itself.

Some minutes later, Sparks entered the cantina hungry as a lion. Misaki was sitting in a corner, just drinking a cup of something unknown. He went to food output and brought meals for two to Misaki's table.

"I said my treat!"

"Alright… I tell you, I don't give a shit to the words of that machine!"

"Me neither…"

"But… I thought it is alike your sister?" Misaki asked confused.

"Like I said, my sister died 20 years ago, in the very first battle from this senseless war…" He answered sadly and looked into his cup of water, visible fighting with his tears.

"I don't…. I mean I didn't…"Misaki stammered, a little ashamed. Sparks looked up to the ceiling.

"There is a theory saying, that if someone ever finds out wherefore and why the universe exists, it immediately disappears and will be replaced by something more bizarre and incomprehensively…" He said, trying to bring himself away from his memories.

"There is another theory, saying it already happened!" The woman in a lab-coat said, a small smile on her lips.

This actually surprised Sparks a little, this and the smile Misaki had.

"Please, tell me something about you and your sister."

"What is your interest?"

"Maybe it will be easier to accept if you talk about it."

Sparks only grunted and took a sip of his water.

"…and besides, you won't be an effective pilot with private problems like that. This might cost your life, which has some value after all."

"For Christ's sake, what do you wanna know?"

"Tell me about your parents, who were they? And who was your sister?"

"Really want to hear a long and boring story?" He asked lamely in the hope to avoid this dialog.

Misaki only nodded and Sparks knew, there was no way out of this.

"Alright, here we go… I was born in former Europe but don't ask me where exactly, my parents were travelling all around all the time. They are the aces of the archaeologists and historians; they love it so much, they live in history… Look at our names, even there their passion got through…"

"What do you mean by that? I see nothing bad about your name, Spartacus."

"Yeah, being named after an old Greek hero is such an honor. Iris is the same, Greek mythology… I hate my parents for my name it only shows that their work is the thing they think about all day, not their children. My sister learned fast to take care of herself and when I was born, she took care of me the most, not my mother." Sparks said with despise in his voice but went on with a faint smile.

"I loved and admired her as much as a little brother can do… I still love her… she always made me smile… showed me the right path… until I was seven years old… then she was taken away from my, by force… GODDAMNIT!" He yelled the last part and some of the people in the cantina stared at him, half scared.

"So you ARE the son of the legendary Shirow's, those who've regained so much of our history. Hmmm… How comes you're not in a museum but in the army?" Misaki asked as she finished her lunch."

"I got some of their history curiosity, but not that much and only the old Nordic mythology is of my interest. I went to the army when I was 15, I was able to stand my ground, able to live by myself." He said with bitterness. Misaki knew, Sparks would have given everything to have memories of a nice childhood.

"First I went into army for two reasons. I wanted to fight, to end this senseless war that took my sister away from me. And I wanted to get away from my parents, it made me sick being with them. Now, things are different. I grew older, I don't actually hate my parents, but I avoid them… to be honest… I haven't seen them for ten years now…" Sparks said silently. He sounded a bit sad, again Misaki thought, he wished for a better childhood.

"But, one thing did not change… I fight, and I will fight till the end of the war or my life, to stop this senseless killing… if I can only save one bigger sister by giving my life, it would be still worth it."

"You think a lot about your sister, am I right?"

"Often, yeah… when I see no hope, I think of her and I can see her smile… that's all I need to hope again! All I need to enjoy my life again!"

"And, the best place for that is… Hawaii?" Misaki asked with some cynism.

"Just my second home, where I will build my house after this war… and where I will stay with the love of my life…" Sparks said. First Misaki thought Sparks was joking again, but his stern expression told her, he was speaking true.

"Come on, lets get back to work and to those movement tests… the sooner we start the sooner the war will be over!" Misaki cheered, mostly to break the uncomfortable silence that was in the air.

"Yeah, that might be best…" he answered reluctantly.

"Thanks for the meal…" Misaki said sideways, yet honest and happy.

"You're welcome, all the time!"

Both went back to the hangar. They didn't speak the entire way. But the silence was not uncomfortable. Misaki felt good because she was to hear something very personal from Sparks. Sparks felt good because he was able to tell things to someone, he never said before.

When they arrived, Sparks went to the Valkyrie while Misaki went back into the control room.

Iris was greeting her brother as he entered the Gundam.

"All system nominal, everything is in the greens… Welcome back, little brother. You feel any better now?" Iris said with a nice smile.

"Yeah, a whole lot better to be honest… maybe I can start burring my past…"

"What?" Iris asked confused.

"Ah, nothing… lets start some tests, I wanna start rocking here… can you open a channel to the control room?"

"No prob….. channel open, you are free to go!"

"Alright doc, I am ready to rock, how are you?" Sparks was in good spirits, way more than in the cantina.

"We have to wait for the Crusader, but will have to wait a little bit more…"

"Ah, alright… Iris?" he asked when he saw a frown on Iris' face.

"I …. Um… can I ask for a favour?" Iris asked shyly.

"Um… yeah sure, why not…"

"Can you make a backup of me? Just in case something happens, I don't want to be lost…" Iris said and Sparks was sure, he was some tears on her face.

"Um… sure thing…. Hold it, I have disk with me I think… hmm, ah there it is!" Sparks said happy and inserted the disk into a slot nearby.

"Backup… complete."

"There, now you'll be close to me, all the time!" Sparks said before putting the disk back into his jacket.

"Thank you… little brother…" Iris mumbled and actually blushed.

* * *

While all this happened, Shinichi Hago and Daisuke Tailor were leaving the cantina, their stomachs filled to the maximum and their smile wide.

"I tell you, this meal was a gift of god!" Daisuke cheered and rubbed his belly.

"Yeah, I know what you mean… I feel good… even after this nightmare…"

"Well yeah, you didn't look too alive for quite some time, ya know?"

"… but as a soldier. Soldiers have to bring sacrifices for the sake of the army."

"Sounds like a propaganda slogan to me… say… may I ask a question, Lieutenant?" Daisuke said slowly, anticipating a horrible truth.

"Yeah, I think you are permitted to…" Shinichi answered quite bored.

"When was your last holiday and when will your next one be? I mean even you guys get some free time, right?" The young tech asked, actually fearing that they didn't have free time.

Shinichi stopped short, a frown on his face.

"Holidays?" he asked unsure.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't know what to do with your free days, that just can't be!"

"Hmmm, think I never had a day off since I joined the force… I served all the time." He answered back, nodding lightly.

Daisuke Tailor, who had seen and heard a lot of shit in his life, stood there, his jaw somewhere between his knees and completely out of words. It took half a minute for him to regain consciousness.

"You… you never had a day off? I mean… when do you visit your parents, your friends… your girlfriend?" he asked shocked.

"If you really want to know, my parents are dead, died in an accident just after my birth; never met them. Don't know them or my birthplace. I have no living relatives, so the army became my one relative. They trained me discipline, morale and ethics, I have my own place to live and I get free food."

"Yeah, and you saw from this universe what? Battlefield and training ground… oh yeah, people will be sooo jealous… come on, after this test, you will go to your superior and demand some holidays!"

"I do?" Shinichi asked confused.

"Yeah, you do! I will take you down to earth and show you, what it means to live. THEN you can say you've started living… I have some holidays ahead, visiting my girlfriend… I thought of having days of not ending hot passionate… ya know… but you need to get out of here and you will love me for it!" Daisuke claimed with a smirk, posing a little to show off.

"You think both our vacations will be authorized?"

"My vacation IS authorized already, for almost a year now… even Dr. Bitch cannot cancel it! And you… you don't have to worry. One of the best soldiers asking for his first vacation ever? You will get it, buddy!"

"Hmmm… well, we will see… I'd prefer though to take vacation after this war has ended." Shinichi said coldly.

Daisuke was shocked again.

"What the-? Oh man… really… you need to learn a lot… well, lets get going with the test or Doc K will cancel my vacation…"

"I am ready, duty calls and I answer!"

"I will watch everything from the nearby control room, so that you can move freely in the hangar. I don't want you to worry about killing me while moving."

"I wouldn't." Shinichi answered truthfully.

"I knew so… well, afterwards we will see how good you are in outer space."

"Why not the training grounds?"

"Three words… Top secret project! No one needs to see these mobile suits before we know what they are capable off and how to steer them."

"Makes sense…"

Shinichi entered the Crusader and MIA greeted him.

"Welcome back, pilot Shinichi Hago. All systems work within nominal parameters, the Gundam Crusader is fully operational."

"Can I ask you something, Mia?" Shinichi asked suspiciously.

"I am your helping A.I., I will answer all your questions if I can."

"I can't remember either I or Mr. Tailor out there ever mentioned my name, so how do you it?"

"Scanning brain patters and memories made me able for this."

"You scanned my brain?"

"Yes, this was within the process of calibration."

"Ahhh, good that I was informed about that before you scanned me."

"It is all written in the manual." Mia said shortly.

"Figures…oh well, whatever… Open a channel to Tailor, please."

"Hey buddy, get yourself going, Major Sparks says, he wants to kick some ass and he is waiting for you."

"Well, first some simple movement tests and we will see, who will beat who's ass…"

Both Gundams made their ground movement tests and it showed that the movement ability is far advanced compared to the usual MS units. The pilots interact at a higher level with the Gundam and even though both units are different, the performance is the equally good.

The tests data result showed that the Crusader was a more steady MS while the Valkyrie was optimized for speed and mobility.

"Alright, that should be it… hope you are prepared for the test in outer space now."

"Bring it, I begin to grow impatient here…" Shinichi said and his eyes showed that he wasn't lying.

End of Chapter 3, Trial run part one

* * *

MyWay: Okay… I admit… I had this fic for a loooong time and I am sorry

Shinji: Yeah, you better be sorry! My wonderful fic…

MyWay: Hey, I did what I could, alright? I am not Jesus…

Shinji flatly: You are god!

MyWay: Picky, picky, picky… let's not split hairs, will we?

Shinji: I hate my life….


	4. Trial run, part II

Chapter 4, Trial run, part two

Shinji: Dear Readers... I had this chapter done ... oh, I would say about TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO... but my pre-reader, who shall remain unnamed... MYWAY... took his time to work with it.

MyWay: First; I worked on it 24/7... it's not my fault it was a bunch of crap when I got it... and second: a good fanfiction is like a good wine... it takes time till perfection.

Shinji: Whatever….

Chapter 4, Trial run, part two

Shinichi was growing impatient, but he was nothing compared to Sparks, who was real bored by the basic training. Yet, before Sparks could complain, Misaki gave them new orders.

"Alright Major, move to the outer space door… out there, we will test the abilities of the thrusters, armor and weapons. Yet, you have to wait until the Crusader has arrived, since we will test both units together."

"I copy that. Space door, ability test, waiting for Crusader… say, can we have a little skirmish, wonder boy and me?" Sparks asked, hoping to kick some ass during those tests.

"We will see… do your tests, and do them first, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah… Iris, everything set for a trip to outer space, to boldly go to where no man has gone before?"

"… no man before? This station is in outer space… many other colonies are…" Iris said confused.

"Never saw that old science fiction series? Star Trek? … never mind… so, are we set fit for outer space traveling?"

"Yes, all systems working nominal, no hull breaches detected."

"Alright… LET'S ROLL!" Sparks yelled with glee, his eyes showing the joys of a small boy, just after Christmas Eve.

The doors to outer space opened slowly and Sparks let his knuckles crunch; actually a pretty disturbing sound.

While drifting outside, the radio connection went worse.

"I've changed the connection code; we are now heavy ciphered, so we're loosing the stableness in the signal. I think it will work nevertheless. Alright, fly to the coordinates I just sent you… it's a training ground, cut off of all the eyes around here… Our radar system says, there is no ship or MS able to see you or the training ground… you'll be all alone there and only few persons know about you or the Gundam!" Misaki said slow, making sure to read all the reading on her screen.

"Alright, now let me boost this baby up …… HUH?... WHAT THE….." Sparks began, yet didn't finish.

"Major? Something wrong? You alright, Major?" Dr. Kusanagi asked concerned.

"I told you… call me Sparks… but besides that, I can't feel the G-forces… I went to maximum speed within 5 seconds…" Sparks said slow, seeming to be perplexed.

"WHAT?... You don't feel any acceleration??" Misaki asked confused, yet very fast and to Sparks displeasure, very loud.

"I do feel being pushed a little into my seat here… but, compared to my acceleration, it's nothing!"

"EHEM… If I may interrupt the two of you in your discussion?" Iris asked politely.

"If you know something about this, feel free to join our conversation, 'cause I am not a fan of speculation…" Sparks said with a smile and nodded slightly, agreeing to himself.

"Well, this is a new experimental type of thruster. Instead of using fossil fuels or fusion energy, the Valkyrie is using an ion based anti-gravitation-generator. The ions let the Gundam accelerate while they power the anti-G generator. The suppression of the G-forces was successfully brought down to 7,85 percent, protecting the sensitive systems and the pilot."

There was a minute of silence; a minute spent in awe.

"So… this is to prevent hurts and harms by high G-forces, right?" Sparks asked slowly.

"That is right, little brother."

"See, you don't need to be a studied doctor in advanced physics to understand that!" Sparks said happy again.

"Iris, are these generators saved against blackouts?" Misaki asked over intercom.

"Let's just say, if the generators are not working, there are only three possible reasons for it: High damage of the suit containing the ensured death of the pilot, destruction of the suit or sabotage."

Another silent minute went by.

"Iris…" Sparks said his head hanging low "you just made my day…" he finished ironic and sighed, most of his joy blown away.

Sparks continued his flight to the training ground, not all that happy anymore. Even though Sparks didn't look happy, he still looked forward to this. He saw another mobile suit coming closer very fast.

Reaching the training ground, the other mobile suit, which turned out to be the Crusader, slowed down immediately with lots of thruster power. Sparks' jaw was down by an inch.

"Wow, around the colony in just that short time? And unseen… amazing… Iris, is the Crusader equipped with the same anti-gravitation stuff as the Valkyrie?"

"Go ahead and ask the pilot himself, channel opened."

As soon as Iris said the last word, a video transmission began. Sparks could see and hear Shinichi and the other way around. Sparks expected to see a young soldier grinning with glee, but was surprised to see Shinichi out of breath and exhausted.

"Lieutenant, don't tell me you are broken already, and by such a nice mobile suit… is that cross for praying purposes?" Sparks asked with a smirk, TEASE written all over his face.

"Well… I shouldn't… have accelerated to the… maximum… right away… the hell with those g-forces…" Shinichi panted, not all that happy.

"What, not equipped with a nice anti-gravitation generator? I, personally, don't feel g-forces in here…" Sparks said, trying to provoke Shinichi into a little skirmish.

"What?" Shinichi asked short and simple.

Mia now appeared and spoke:

"The Gundam Valkyrie has a mark one anti-gravitation generator installed; the pilot would be probably dead by now without it. The Crusader actually has a mark two generator, which was unfortunately not fully adjusted by doctor Seisenberg yet."

"Can't you adjust it?"

"No, these are hardware settings, I cannot alter them."

"Well, would be too cool… but, let's get on with those tests before my beard goes grey."

Misaki watched every step of those two. As Daisuke joined her in the control room, she interrupted the discussion.

"Okay, I saw the whole thing now, we were not seen by anyone so far and the thruster test results are real good. I think we will try going for… fun."

It actually sounded weird how the female doctor said "fun", more like she knew something the others did not know, not yet at least.

"Gentlemen, welcome to E.A.'s most expensive shooting range."

"So, what will we blow up first?" Sparks asked in anticipation.

"Oh no, I don't think we will arm you right away…" Misaki said and stopped her sentence.

There was a small pause, everyone seemed busy with thinking.

"Then, what are we doing on a shooting range if we are not shooting?" Shinichi asked slowly.

Five seconds went by, but then a monitor light up, showing Dr. Kusanagi's straight face morphing into an evil grin.

Countless red strobe lights went on; four lights marking one airlock.

"Um… doc?" Sparks asked slowly, a trace of fear in his voice.

The pilots adrenaline wouldn't have risen any further, if it wasn't for those hatches to open, revealing rocket turrets.

"Let's see if you are only talk or not." Misaki said grinning, hitting the ENTER key in front of her.

Sparks thought this was only a joke, until the first rocket launched.

"Shinichi, RUN! SHE'S GONE MAD!!"

It's not difficult to dodge a rocket. Yet, dodging many dozen rockets is something else. Shinichi was doing a good job, just as Sparks. But with every rocket they dodged, two more were fired.

The stress level of both pilots went higher and higher as the amount of rockets rose as well.

It was just a matter of time until one of them wouldn't be able to dodge them all.

Shinichi was first to get hit by one of those rockets. Yet, the explosion was so little, no damage was noticed.

"What the… training rockets?" Sparks asked out of breath while Misaki stopped this test.

"Sure, you think we blow up the two most precious things on this station?" Dr. Kusanagi asked in a matter of fact way.

"Heard that Shinichi? We are the 'most precious things' on this station!" Sparks yelled happily.

"I was talking about the Gundams, not you, MAJOR SPARTAKUS!"

Sparks' right eye twitched hard three times before he was able to respond.

"Heard that Shinichi? We are NOT the 'most precious things' on this station!" He said with faked glee.

"Yeah, I've heard that… we are replaceable, Major… like everyone else!"

This kind of doomed the good mood and Misaki had a hard time to say something.

"I think we take a little brake here… please return to the main hangar… We'll do the armor tests after you got yourself some nourishment!"

Both pilots returned and no one said a word.

"See you later, little brother!" Iris winked as she said a goodbye.

Sparks got out of the Valkyrie, his mind focused on that rocket fight; horrible memories bame back to his mind…

'Focus on the good things…' he thought and began to smile.

It was a loud clapping sound that made everyone turn around. Sparks, pointing both index fingers at the Shinichi had a big smirk on his lips.

"HAH! Seems you're not as fast in your young days as I thought you were, lieutenant!" Sparks yelled and started a little victory dance.

Shinichi, showing no facial response slowly walked over to Sparks, who started thinking that he may overdid it a little.

"Do you think so, major?" the young man said and narrowed his eyes.

There were awful silent ten seconds to pass until Shinichi spoke up again.

"Just wait until I let loose on you, old man!"

Both pilots began grinning as Dr. Kusanagi could only shake her head in disbelief.

"You are always welcome, ROOKIE!"

"We will see that, GRAMPS!" Shinichi said and turned around, grinning like a winner.

They all headed off to the cafeteria to munch on something, especially on that one certain piece of good old cake that Sparks had an eye on ever since he saw it. But that is rather unimportant. More important is that they mounted their suits after the cake-dance.

"Okay, after we've seen what Major Sparks is capable of, we can start the next tests…"

"CAPABLE?? Never saw a man with munchies?"

"… let's not talk about that no more… I consider us lucky if we spend our nights without nightmares about that cake…"

"SO…" Sparks began to alter the subject "…what is this next test you talked about."

"To put it simple: Armor test!" Dr. Kusanagi said short and began to enter commands into her workstation.

"Doctor, are we being shot again?" Shinichi asked a little uncertain.

"Don't worry lad, after what she did, she would never-" Sparks began, but got interrupted by Misaki.

"ACTUALLY… that is what we are going to do…"

The silence, accompanied by the sounds of the engines, was a little awkward and long lasting. Finally, Sparks broke the silence.

"Ya know… I really start doubting the high priority of our surviving in this test mission…" He said and sighed deeply.

"I don't know… this has this certain, unique smell of suicide to it… is there still a chance to resign from that almost-voluntary mission… I mean, as Dr. Kusanagi said, we know in fact nothing about the Gundams, right? … sounds like 50/50 to me…"

"That is why we need to test it" Misaki said before going into a little conversation with Daisuke.

"She is not listening at all…" Sparks sighed into his suit.

"Mia, please say that I will live long enough for the next breakfast." Shinichi pleaded.

"Like the crusaders from ancient times, the Gundam Crusader is equipped with a more robust armor than most other Mobile suits. But even with that the Crusader would have a minimal chance of getting through this…"

"NOOOOO… if the Crusaders chances are bad, the Valkyrie's are horrible… Iris, please say I will live long enough to go out on a date again!"

"Valkyrie's armor is not nearly as thick as the Crusader's… BUT, what MIA forgot to mention is the build-in Shields of both units." Iris said with a triumphant smile on her digital face.

Sparks immediately felt relieved and his breathing slowed down a bit.

"Mia, is that true? Do the Gundams have Shields? I only saw them on battle ships and bigger installations so far…"

"It is true, the Gundam's shields are able to prevent any damage from projectile and particle weapons. They do not shield against heat, radiation and radio waves though."

"You see? You got shields… there is nothing to worry about… Daisuke, you ready?" Misaki said and checked her monitor.

"Yep, all pods are reloaded… waiting for your sign." The tech said in glee.

"WHOA, wait! Iris… rockets cause explosions, right? Explosions contain heat! The shields are bad against heat, aren't they?" Sparks asked unsure.

Dr. Kusanagi only rolled her eyes.

"Daisuke… Open fire!" She said bored and was quite satisfied with herself.

Both pilots were quite unpleased of the upcoming rocket curtain.

"Iris… just a question, but how do I activate the shields?" Sparks asked with a sweaty forehead.

"I never said they were ready for use, did I?" Iris answered back.

This was followed by a short awesome pause as Sparks face morphed into a pitiful something.

"On the other hand, I never said they were not ready for use, ne?" Iris said with a smirk.

"THIS is NOT funny! I swear, you got a bad attitude there! … wait a second… AAAAHHHH… ACTIVATE THOSE SHIELDS BEFORE WE GET ROASTED!!" The major yelled in despair as he noticed how close the rockets were.

Just a moment later, the entire scene was covered in flames and heat.

After the explosion was gone, both suits were still hovering there in one piece. While the red veins of the crusader were glowing like just burned-in scars, the veins on the Valkyrie were shining a bit more away from the white more brighter shining hull.

Both pilots had almost the same expression on their faces. Shock, about the size of the explosion and gladness, about the fact that they were still alive.

"Holy Moses… this was… this WAS scary! … I am glad about this mobile suit and its abilities." Sparks panted, still not believing what happened.

"THIS is no understatement… I am not scared of a fight, but THIS was a mixture between hopeless and already-lost!" Shinichi said, agreeing to Sparks' statement.

"Alrighty, the shields are significant, like we expected!" Misaki said, more to herself than to the others.

"… What do you mean by 'like we expected', doc?" Sparks asked inquiring.

"Well… um… I guess I can tell you now. We knew the theoretical potential of the armor, but the shields were still unknown to us. I guessed the pilots would be able to activate them and this would be our chance to test the shield's capabilities." Misaki said cool, taking a swig of her coffee.

"You knew about these shields? Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Well, you wouldn't have fully tried to dodge those missiles on the last test if you had those shields… and afterwards… well, I guess I forgot it…" She admitted and shrugged.

"She tricked us…"

"A little chiseler our doc is… I like that…. Okay, I almost peed my pants, but I kinda love that attitude!" Sparks spoke into his mic, putting a lot of love into it.

"Would you please concentrate on the more important things, like your job? Your targets will be all unmanned training MS, so don't hold back! Daisuke, where are they?"

"… Should be in scanner range any second."

After 20 seconds, several MS came closer to both Gundams with low speed.

"Alright… I'd say, age before beauty!" Shinichi said, more than just self-confidently.

"My communication just broke down for a second, greenhorn… But okay, I will start things off. Iris, what weapons are available for this Suit?"

"Let's see… there is a spear with a laser blade on the backside, called Gungnir…"

"Now, THAT is something we should look into, ne?"

The Valkyrie took a little staff from its back. The staff expanded itself into a large spear, with an impressive laser blade at the end… violet-reddish in color.

"Alright… this is my next New-Years costume, no doubt… but… let's check if we can do some damage with this." Sparks said and a grin grew on his face; from ear to ear.

The Valkyrie moved right into the field of Mobile Suits and cut several of them into half, not noticing any resistance.

"Like a warm knife through butter! And the handling… like I was born for this."

Sparks showed signs of satisfaction as he cut through some more targets.

"Try to top that, greenhorn!" he said, posing like a divine being.

"Greenhorn, huh? Unlike you noob, I already know about my weaponry… let me show you how it's done, the Shinichi way!" the young lieutenant bragged.

Mostly because of the statistics Daisuke explained earlier, which Shinichi listened to a certain point, he already knew a bit about his Gundam.

"Did he just call me 'noob' or what?" Sparks asked, but no one listened.

The Crusader grabbed the handle of the two handed claymore, which also had a cross-guard, but that was more for the optic then for practical use. The handle was designed after a real one and looks like a 2000 years old, elegant sword, just without the blade.

Shinichi enjoyed the moment when he activated his sword, producing an impressive laser blade of immense power. He even had to use a little force to not let the recoil make him look like a fool.

The laser blade itself was green, round and of extreme proportions. Fully fledged it had just about the same height as the Crusader. It was thicker at the base than it was on the tip, which made it real rare. (Most laser based close combat equipment in the E.A. was straight like a candle.)

With the intense power of the boosters and the more than strong blade, he didn't just simply cut down the Mobile Suits… he was smashing through the field of MS like a berserker of the old ages.

With a final slash, he finished his business and three MS and put the handle back into the holder on the neck."

"Piece of cake… and that was just the warm up round!" Shinichi bragged out loud.

-While both pilots topped each other at bragging, we take a look on S.G.'s stealth shuttle-

As the only person on board, Shinai was thinking about the mission and the whole situation. He began mumbling to himself.

"It still takes lot of time before I arrive… This is so boring… should have brought my solitaire cards, damn it…"

He listened patiently to the music that was playing, but not even that took the boredom away.

"Still wonder what that ship was… if we weren't in stealth mode during patrol flights, it would have probably gotten away."

He let his hand move like a conductor, his mind not focused on anything physical.

"Too bad we blasted it out of orbit BEFORE asking them nicely to surrender… We could have saved ourselves lots of trouble, like this mission, if we could have obtained the two THINGS back then…"

Shinai stood up and stretched before walking around a little.

"It must have been an important ship… otherwise the Zeus wouldn't have showed up… big battle cruisers don't come all the way for just a freighter… And tracing it to the colony was the smartest move in that operation."

The white haired man sat down again and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.

"And now, I sit here, talk to myself and prepare myself for a sneak-and-steal operation… Clara, don't worry about me, I'll come home unharmed… and my little Aiko, don't let your pretty smile fade because of worries, I shall be back soon!"

-back to the training ground-

Sparks, who was pretty amazed by the performance of his 'opponent', did a good job hiding his awe and simply stated in a bored tone:

"Pretty good, but you can't tell me that THAT was the best ya can do, or was it?"

Sparks exhaled satisfied and before anyone could answer, went on.

"Let me show you want the Valkyrie has else to offer… Iris, if you'd be so kind."

"For melee fights you have the 'Thor' broadsword, attached to your right bracelet. It is fairly different laser technique than the lance."

"'Thor', huh? Sounds … doomed… but this must be good, so let's try!"

The right bracelet lifts a bit up and a violet, broad laser blade comes forth. The runes, which are 'carved' into the more constant blade are in a darker violet color.

"Cool thing… I think this suit belongs into a museum or something, where all of mankind can take peeks…"

"Well, if it would be a 'normal' laser blade, you could try… but this one IS different." Iris said, seriously thinking that Sparks would give away the Valkyrie.

"Yeah, I am kinda not surprised… I wonder why…" He said sarcastically.

"Give it a try, little brother, and you'll see!" The little holograph said giggling.

An unfortunate (and of course unmanned) MS flew nearby and was chosen to be the next victim of the Valkyrie. But before the sword hit the target, waves of bright flashes were sparkling over the blade and the destruction of the MS was a flashy scene.

"This is… a little bit scary, ya know that? Sparks said, not even trying to suppress his emotions.

"Well, the flashes you saw are meant to damage the electronic circuits of your enemy. But with the force of the sword, it is pretty much overpowered to use it against mobile suits, since it draws more power from the Valkyrie than it can produce. The energy cache for this blade will hold for a minute or two, depending on the use and other factors. The cache will recharge, but with weapon and shield systems online, there is nearly no energy left for recharging."

"So... who can I turn against with that weapon?" Sparks asked a bit confused.

"If you can land a hit on a vital zone of a battle cruiser, you can disable certain systems, like shields or communication, maybe even weaponry. Still depends a lot on the shielding of the enemy though. But a few good hits can disable a battle cruiser, without destroying it."

"Ooookay… I keep that in mind next time I plan suicide… attacking a battle cruiser with a suit… you have tons of guts if you try that… well, let's see what Rookie has to offer!"

"Well, you DO have a scary thing there, I give you that… now, let me introduce you to my long range weapons… Gatlings, that old man there is Major Spartakus, Major, these are my Gatling guns." Shinichi said and pointed his arms to the next target.

The bracelets flipped open and several barrels showed up. These 'barrel-bracelets' started spinning fast and bullets began piercing through the target.

Combined with all his three gatling cannons, he was able to track down three MS at the same time.

"SO, are we impressed, Major?" The young lieutenant said smiling.

"Well, I am a little impressed… but I have the feeling that there is also a downside to this…" Sparks said with a smirk.

Shinichi frowned as MIA spoke up again.

"The major is right. Due to the fact that the gatling cannons use projectile ammunition, the Crusader only has a certain amount of firepower available. Also, by using one of the cannons for too long, it will overheat and even might be unusable for combat till the barrels are exchanged. Furthermore, the one on the head is meant for close combat, not long range, since the damage is too low to be efficient in battle." MIA said with a straight face.

"Okay, there is always a downside… hell, I do love handicaps! Major, your turn!" Shinichi said, smiling again.

"Iris… anything for the long range fights on the menu?"

"There is a 'bow' attached to the left arm, called 'Hodur'… but instead of projectiles, it fires energy beams."

"Alrighty… time to kick ass!"

The left bracelet sprung open and and unfolded itself into an arm-attached crossbow. Two little generators were to see at the left arm.

Using the energy of the generators, the valkyrie shot down several MS with purple energy-particle beams. The beam hit the target, melted with the steel and exploded after about a second.

"This really is high tech… geez…" Sparks stated in amazement.

"It truly is… but be reminded: Even with the extra generator, the Gundam will consume more energy that it can reproduce; it takes a while though. With the second generator you can charge up your shot, to take down bigger targets." Iris said informing.

"So Shinichi… I wanna see you top all this now!" Sparks demanded proudly.

"Well… um… I actually forgot what kind of weapons the Gundam has next…"

"Excuse me? What about me?" The helping A.I. of the Crusader made herself audible.

"Oh yeah right, sorry, almost forgot about you." Shinichi said a bit embarrassed.

"You really are the most stupid pilot I ever had. How can you forget a stunning A.I. like me?" The little hologram asked in a very cocky way.

"Mostly because I am not used to a talking, thinking, helping and complaining computer voice in my suit... But, to honor you, could you please be so kind to tell me what else weapons there are at my disposal?" The young lieutenant asked with lots of sweetness in his voice.

"Now, that is a good boy, still some manners left! If I were you and wanted to show off and impress the others, I would use the cross!" MIA said, almost whispering.

"The cross?" he asked confused.

"Yeah, the cross… you know the giant thing this Gundam has on its back? It ain't just for thruster help, it is a gigantic rifle!"

"In-ter-esting! But… why a cross? I mean, is that not blasphemy of sort?" He said with a big ironic smirk on his face.

"As if you would care… a cross form is the most efficient way to combine a barrel and three clips of ammunition, from which each clip has a different payload. I am sure this was not the first time this idea was used…"

"And, what kinds of ammo are those three?"

"Why don't you find out by yourself? The way I understand human nature, it is more 'fun' to see things by yourself instead of being told… not to mention when it contains boys and blowing things up…" Mia said giggling.

"Good point… well everyone, please take your designated shelter as I try to blast something up!"

The crusader grabbed the cross and pointed with the long shaft at the next target available.

"Is this right?" Shinichi asked unsure.

"Yes, that is the right way of handling this rifle. Now, just pull the trigger."

Shinichi did as he was told and the barrel spat out several bullets at high speed, destroying the poor MS nearby completely. It got completely shredded.

"Wow… this is an EVIL gun…" he said with respect in his voice.

"These are common 120mm shrapnel bullets, try the next ammunition, I think you'll like it." Mia said.

The barrel loaded the other clip in just two seconds.

"Will you tell me what kind of ammo this is?"

Mia just smirked.

"Guess not… well, here we go!"

Shinichi noticed the muzzle flash right away, which was half as long as the barrel it got fired from. The next thing that his mind took in was the recoil, which he could only counter with a thruster boost.

The armor of his target MS visible dented a lot, before exploding.

"Wow…what is this?" the young pilot asked surprised.

"High speed ammunition, designed for combat against heavily armored suits or light ships."

"Okay… and the recoil? That is dangerous… I suspect the third ammo will have at least the same?" Shinichi asked uncertainly, looking at Mia.

"Well, this I'll say ahead. You will have to activate a special stabilization thruster to fire the third one; It is specifically designed for anti-ship usage. It also is not automatic fire anymore, single action only. A known side effect is huge amounts of electromagnetic interference, which can harm the Crusader; don't overdo it!

"Understood… all systems activated, we're good to go…"

The gun loaded a new type of ammo and fired it with a blue shining muzzle flash. This flash outdid the last one, since it was twice as big as the Gundam itself. On the Crusader's back, a small thruster activated exactly for the period of time the shot took. This flash looked like it came together with the other one from afar.

… as afar as a stealth shuttle that's nearby.

"What the?? Let's take a closer look on that!" Shinai said as he was kicked out of his boring thoughts. And the shuttle changed course…

Back to business…

"What the frick was that? Shinichi, you all right?" Sparks asked in a worried and at the same time surprised manner.

"Yeah… I'm fine… sigh this is bit powerful… I don't think there is ANYTHING left of that MS…"

"This is high magnetic ammunition, which is brought to almost the speed of light… That's where the electromagnetic interferences come from… the magnets are brought up to such power, you don't want to be between them!" Mia advised with a smile.

"May I interrupt the current program for an urgent information. Would everyone please take a look at that one asteroid, in the nearby field, please…?" Daisuke said with unease in his voice.

Sparks was first to find said asteroid.

"My sensors just picked it up… I think you're talking about the one with the big hole in it, right?"

"That's the one!"

"I think it's safe to assume that this hole wasn't there before I fired my gun, right?" Shinichi asked with a bad feeling in his stomach.

"Second right answer in a row… who wants to finish?" Daisuke complemented teacher-like.

"The Crusader shot a big hole in an asteroid, which should be impossible for a gun of that type." Misaki completed, slightly worried.

"And the Doc get's the dishwasher!"

"Like I said, this ammunition is designed for anti-ship and anti-station purposes." Mia reminded politely.

"Holy crap… I have to go through all kinds of AA fire and plunge my butter knife into the womb of a battleship and he gets to kick back, miles from danger… I think the handicap is even now, rookie!" Sparks complained aloud.

End of chapter 4, trial run part II

MyWay: Lucky you! I already have your next chapter! So, it won't take as long as a wine!

Shinji: How long then?

MyWay: Good ol' Whiskey's sleep is long and deep!

Shinji: I hate Pre-readers...


End file.
